China’s biggest online retailer has a ‘Rent a Boyfriend’ section

China is famous for its fascinating matchmaking and dating traditions. There are love hunting agencies who search for future life partners for China’s affluent men and women and there is a Chinese analogue of the Western spinster “leftover women,” who are reprimanded for being older than 27 and still without a husband implying sometimes that they might be gay. This criticism is debilitatingly embarrassing for straight Chinese women and forces them to take extreme measures. In other cases, when a man passes away too young, families organize “ghost marriages,” digging out women bodies and getting the love-birds married to each other.
In this context, it is understandable that many young Chinese would like to calm their families' anxieties over the fact that they are still single. Today people who now they have a future thanks go to Alibaba company Taobao. It reminds very much of Amazon or eBay services of renting for a friend.
According to People’s Daily, this service usually gets popular about 11.11 Festival and Spring Festival. The Spring Festival was a few weeks before. In this context it become worth researching how Taobao’s rent-a-boyfriend service functions. About 300 search results will pop up when you search for a boyfriend to rent. Prices range from 300 yuan a day to 8.80 yuan. Some young men have not mentioned if it’s a price per an hour:
The users obviously don’t always give a real name. Some men do not even bother uploading a photo.
Once you’ve chosen a “boyfriend” of your dreams, you can click on the profile details and check out the services he provides. The pagination on top indicates the place where he “ships to”. In his profile it is also indicated whether he is ready to travel across different Chinese regions. The pagination below refers to the description of his personality and the business he’s ready to offer.
A lot of men here describe themselves as sensitive, as someone who adores dogs and is loved by parents. Some men also set the price higher if the lady will want him to drink or dress somehow differently than he does in his ordinary life.
Besides, you have an opportunity to check out reviews that a one-day “boyfriend” has gotten. This one has scored two. But, it is hard to tell whether they’re authentic or not.
The popularity statistics is always available. This gentleman's profile shows there have been ten attempts at employing him for the great mission, though only two actually succeeded.
If you are in need of a girlfriend and try to look for one on the website, you will quickly get the pop-up message that translates something like “in accordance with relevant country laws and regulations, we are not allowed to show results for renting a girlfriend.” What a shame! The only options left: dating sites, classfields or mastering pick-up techniques in public places.
Side note: It is interesting whether Chinese "rent boyfriends" will soon appear on Affiliate webstores as affiliated banners on and whether they will be hot like other Alexpress products.